Well if you like pitching duels, you could do worse than tonight’s match up, with Justin Verlander taking on Noah Syndergaard, as the Mets make a rare appearance in town. Our old friend Curtis Granderson will be leading the game off, but Yoenis Cespedes is unlikely to make an appearance, with a bad quad. He also has been getting in a lot of golf, to the consternation of the New York press.
The fragile spark plug Cameron Maybin is still day to day with a mild thumb sprain, and Fingers Collins gets a shot at the 2nd spot in the order.
The Tigers completed the first challenge on their August pitching gauntlet, thanks to a storybook homerun from JD, and another brilliant pitching performance by Michael Fulmer. Sale was dominant, but the Tigers were even better, scratching out a 2-1 win to guarantee a third straight series win. You really should click on the link to watch/re-watch/re-watch/re-watch the JD home run (and then tune to 2:31.31 if you want to listen to Dan’s call on the MLB.tv radio archives). Goosebumps.
Today the Tigers face Jose Quintana, tomorrow it’s Noah Syndergaard, and then Sunday it’s Jacob deGrom. (They do play on Saturday but I don’t know that Mets pitcher. The other 2 are frightening enough). We’re not gonna win every game, but we’re squarely back in the race. Still a lot of games to play.
No VMart (mild illness extra rest) or Maybin (mild thumb sprain) today. Zimmermann back on the hill.
Another game, another easy win. Sanchez had his best outing of the year, Cabrera homered to right again, and Lowe gave up a hit, a walk, and a run. All in a day’s work.
We’re not going to win every game, but it sure is fun to try.
Pelfrey to the DL, J.D. in the clubhouse, but in a pinch-hitting role tonight.
Verlander was named AL pitcher of the month for July.
The trade deadline came and went, and the Tigers’ roster remains unchanged. I’m good with that. They should pull in a nice haul from the DL here soon, as J.D., Zimmermann, and Norris are all set to come back. Though we were about .500 at full strength so …
Zimmermann is likely to start on Thursday, and J.D. is expected back before the end of the home stand. Collins is the likely candidate to go down when J.D. is back.
Fulmer may be hitting an imaginary inning limit – he’s at 97 already; I’m guessing he’ll skip a few starts over the next few months. His minor league high is 125, spanning high A and AA last year.
Pitching prospect Drake Britton has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for amphetamines. He’s 27 and not considered a top prospect.
